Internal-combustion engine



F. e. WELKE. V I NTERNAL COMBUSTI.ON' ,ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-2- P919 Patnted Apr. 6, 1920.

7 INVENTQR WITNESS. v

2; ATTORNEYS center of said arc.-

FERDINAND e. WELKE', or SAN rnaivorsoo, CALIFORNIA. 1

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

To all whom itmag/concrn Be it known that I, FERDINAND Gr. VELKE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at i the city and county of San Francisco and State of Cal1forn1a,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal- Combustion Engine s,of which the following 1s a specificat on.

The present invention relates to an internal combustronjengme havmg a cylinder formed wlth its axis on the arc of acircle,

and a piston, constrained to travel in an arcuate path within said cylinder,,by a piston rod fulcrumedat-a pointlying at the The objects of the invention are to reduce friction losses and \vear'to a minimum, by

eliminating side thrust between the piston and the cylinder walls," and to provide means for cooling the piston by passing a circulating .fiuid through a I chamber formed therein. These andfother objects are accomplished by the novel construction herein-' after described and herewith illustrated. in its preferred form, but it is understood that Changes may be made in said form and con- I rod fulcrum.

' employed, each having a crank formed upon struction,'within the scope of the claims departing. from hereto appended, without the spirit of the invention.

- In order to fully comprehend the invention, reference should. be had to the accom panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, partly broken, of my engine, showing one cylinder with .its piston, crankv and associated parts.

*Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of the piston My engine is herewith inder, although it is to be understood that any number of identical cylinders may be a common crank-shaft in the customary manner.

In the drawings, and referring particu:

larly to Fig.1 thereof, the reference numeral 1- designates the cylinder of my'engine, said cylinder being formed with its axis lying in the arc of a circle. 1 The upper end of the cylinder 1 is closed by ahead 2. Suitable valves and ignition devices, of any well known form, and mechanism for operating the same, are provided, but inasmuch as said valves and ignition devices and op,- erating mechanism form no part of the illustratedand hereinafter described as having a single cyl-.

register with the grooves 18' of said boss,

Specification of Letters 1 atent.: t t Apr, 1920, Application filed August- 2, 1919, Serial N 314,859.

present -invention,'they have been omitted from the drawings, except that a sparkplug is indicated at 3. Likewise the'cylinder 1 may be 'cooled in any suitable manner not illustrated.

Vithin the cylinderl is an arcuate piston 4, provided with suitable packing rings Said piston is. carried by asubstantially L- shaped piston rod 6, whose end 7 is pivotally. mounted upon a bearing pin-8 located at a pointrepresenting the centerof the arc formed by the axis of the cylinder.- Thus theypist'on is constrained tooscillate in an arcuate path whose curvature is coincident with that of the cylinder.

"lhepin 8 is carried in-a crank case 9,

shown as formed, integrally with the cylinder 1; A crank 10 is carried by a crank shaft, not shown, butjournal'ed 'in; the walls of the crank case 9 in the usual manner. A

connecting rod 11, journaled at 12 upon the piston rod 6 and. at- 13 uponthe crank 10,

connects said piston rod with the said crank.

It will be seen that'the' side thrust caused by the angularity of the crank and connect;

. ing rod is all'taken by the fixedpistonrod fulcrum pin 8, thus relieving the piston and cylinder-wallsbf all such side thrustand v the wear incident thereto.

On this account Iam enabled muse relatively short, and therefore light, piston, as

. shown, and furthermore, .on account of the absence offside thrust and wear," I am enabledto make said piston gas-tight within its cylinder by means of but two rings, in-

stead of the usual three or four. v v

The piston 4' 'is'fo'rmed' with an interior. chamber 1 1, through Which-a cooling fluid maybe circulated. A. pair ofpipes 15, one

of which is shown in Fig. 1 and both in Fig. 2, in colnu'iunica'tion With -said chamher, are carried .alongthe s1des of the piston rod 6, and connect, through passages 16, Fig. 2. formed in the enlarged journal boss 17 of said .rod, with annular grooves 18 formed in the projecting ends of said boss. Said projecting ends are surrounded, in close-fitting relation, by stationary rings 19, having annular grooves 20'adapted to and pipes 21 are provided for conducting ary'i-ings 19. Suitable means, not shown the cooling fluid to and from said stationtioniwithin .thg' hollow piston.

' 5. "tltings 1,9, m? on th'elinsid'e being heldin '-gi 'oovesfonn'ed in shoulders 23 on the 'j'o irnal boss 17, and that 'on-,- tho outside.

' projcting" en'd'sof said boss. ,10;

Till 1S "the passagas-J i oi tho circ nlating: oooling'fluidiar entiroly sparat it'fon'nfthe hearingfof the pist'onfi od, so that a Cooling] fluid otl1e tl1an lubricating oil may be used' )aroo'f a1 ci-Ifolo-;'-.a -holloWpiston operatable if desired.

I It," is to bi jnotod that, aooount; of tho 1 fulcrinnedfoscillating.. piston '-rod', j fixod.tojthe piston I, am 'enable'd to providef "1 a closed 'ciicula'toi y syste1n,;fof coolingsaid jistonQIWit-h but two :moving connections, onifo t-feed and one/for d scharge, -v1zf the] groovod rings 19.

connctionsffoirndby the and the piston' lod boss .17.

Haying thus (1 v igylindfli ifoime dflyvith portion haying its Qn atin-g' 'inja -gylinder casing,, a piston operal fulg {arranged Within" said Cylinder jefrank'and piston rod fO' -tranSfer 'ing osoil= imny ment of said oi'ank. I

said o'r'a nk', all 0f. said .pa ts contained With in andgin clossd by said-pylinder'oasing;

criloed my invontioni vihat clain as'newand desire/to protect Let-.

" an: internal oinbustion engine, a f

asing e tmll of. the arc .of'said; cylinder,

fafforanl; within said cy1indei"oasing; and a.

-;"o0n 1jie cting' z od 'within'said Cylinder casing-v piyotallyjgonnnted at opposite ends to said"- V of'said "boss; fa g fo'ovd Lrin'g. surrounding I T a P fliatoif-y InoVeInentofsaid-piston-ji od'toi rotary V 7 -40 I i"' 2.-:In an z iirtrnal'icombustion engine, 'a- 4 :.cylinder foi ined with a portionhaying -its xis lyingfin the are of'af ci 'l'a'nd termi-fl' in: -cylinder casing, "Piston rota-' tabl ef Within- :said .al'cu'ate; portion of *ihe' ffcylind'or fixed'oscillatory path of travel, jci'anl'c; Within-1 the; cylindsr (iasing and f-ineansifor transmitting oscillatory move- -Ymentfof-said piston, to rotary-movement of f 3. In an internal; combustion engine, a

cylinder formed with a portion having its axis .lyingin. tho arc of a circle and'ter mihating-1n a c'ylindei caslng', a plston 0poratable Within said cylinder, a-ci'ank, aconnecting 'od. btW en -Said piston and said "crank, and meansior .causing said piston to'oscill'ate: inan ,al cu'ate path coincidentwith thoaXis-of said cylinder, allfof said fp aits contained within and inclosed. by said .v Cylinder casing-.

4. 111, an intoi nal Conibnstion engine, a cylincle1'- .;forn1'ed Witl1'itS1aXiS lying in the.

within said oylindra piston rod rigidly cation with said' hollow piston means. can:

motion jfroin'vsaid-i piston to said crank.v 1

5. In an intPnal {combustion eng ne; a

'cyl ind'eii; foimed witliqits .aXis' "lying iii." the,

atable Within-sa'id; -oylinder piston: rod; rigidly fixed 't'o' -sajid" iston' at one end and 1 5 at the otheivfforirl'i Withan-annu-la'rly 'groo ed'joiilfnal bossg a'. bearing Pin; mounted centrally; of the atoof said. cylinder, and

'upon hioh' saidfpistonfrod boss is -jo1 rna]ed-,- 1

.foi' oscillatoryimoi eitiont; a pipe associated" W th sa d. pistolli irogil land having oornnn 'n cation ,at onejlondf with tho 'ohalnberjof said boss and'fl ay ng its groove .iniegistry with -t h g 'oove"of said "boss; an extorior j j fiu1d c0nne ct1on leadingito the groove. of, said ring; a crankgkandqineans for transmitting motion from said j-piston to said crank;

testimonjyi liei 'eoif I'havo signed my 'nan1e t'oithis speclfication in thopresence i 

